FPIs offload over Rs 1 lakh-cr funds in FY19 amid growth concerns

Concerns over slow growth amid macro headwinds have caused foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to offload funds worth more than `1 lakh crore from debt and equity markets in the current financial year.

Concerns over slow growth amid macro headwinds have caused foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to offload funds worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore from debt and equity markets in the current financial year.

By Utsav Saxena

Concerns over slow growth amid macro headwinds have caused foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to offload funds worth more than `1 lakh crore from debt and equity markets in the current financial year.

The net year-to-date outflows from the debt markets have been higher at Rs 58,100 crore compared to Rs 42,100-crore outflows from the equity markets.FPIs pulled out more than Rs 38,000 crore from the Indian markets in October, a massive variance from the net inflow of Rs 20,000 crore in the same period last year. Foreign investors pumped in Rs 1.47 lakh crore into Indian debt last year. In a sharp contrast, they have withdrawn Rs 58,800 crore in the current fiscal.Different from the trends of the previous months, the outflows in October were dominated by equities rather than debt. This, according to experts at Edelweiss Securities, was a reflection of the weak equity risk sentiment globally in the month of October.

Experts believe foreign portfolio outflows at a time when the current account deficit is expected to widen to between 2.5-3% of GDP could mean a negative balance of payments for the year. According to experts at Care Ratings, FPI outflows have been one of the factors attributed to the depreciation in the rupee in recent times. The depreciation in the rupee has been both a cause and effect of foreign fund outflows.